Judaism, Revelation, Bible Criticism, and the Dangers of Radical Doubt

In his 2015 book Revelation and Authority, Benjamin Sommer sought to reconcile modern biblical scholarship with Jewish theology. He discusses this book, his own education, the importance of ritual in understanding the Psalms, why radical love is not the solution to all problems, and much else in conversation with Matt Lynch. Noting that he has long been wary of the dangers of fanatical religiosity, Sommer contends that a greater danger in the contemporary West comes from the radical doubt of those who wish to write off religion entirely. He concludes the interview by urging academic Bible scholars to abandon their longstanding fixation on efforts to date various biblical passages. (Audio, 66 minutes.)